At two weeks from my due date we’re checking off a few more lingering nursery updates, like painting the closet door a bright happy color, organizing the clutter within…
… making/hanging some more art, and changing our minds in the curtain arena (you know we love a good final-hour switcheroo).
The green closet door was heavily influenced by Clara, who kept saying “my baby will like a colored door like mine but not pink” – and since a bold green door was originally in our plan back in January (which we mentioned to Clara, hence her obsession) we decided to stop hemming and hawing and just go for it.
After hanging our apple-green curtains and adding a kelly green sheet to the changing table, we worried a bright door between them would be too much. But the realization that we already had some breezy Ikea curtains from our last house meant we had nothing to lose by tossing those up to see how they looked (they used to hang on the deck sliders, but came down when we got french doors).
Although I couldn’t recoup the time I spent making the colorful curtains, they were under $10 a pop, so it seemed silly to stay married to them at the expense of losing something else we had all looked forward to in the room. And I pulled off the faux-changing-pad-cover (just a fabric remnant I tossed on to picture what a green cover might look like) when we decided a bright closet door was too hard to resist.
We still think the curtains need something (I want to line them in blackout fabric, and maybe trim them on all sides with black or brown ribbon – maybe green? Not sure) but we’re getting closer I think. And of course we still need to get a real changing pad cover, so that’s on the list.
As for picking a green door color, we relied on our usual method of taping up contender swatches to see which one we liked best in a bunch of different lighting scenarios (early morning, afternoon, late at night with the light on, etc). The winner was Irish Moss by Benjamin Moore. Not too dark, not too light, not too neon, and not too yellow or blue.
I only needed a quart to get it done (I went with semi-gloss), even though it took three coats to get a nice shiny finish with good coverage. Bold colors like this tend to look horrific for the first coat or two and then magically shape up at the end. Tinted primer probably could have saved me one coat (in exchange for one coat of that) but I didn’t have it on hand, so I just did three coats of paint instead. I applied the first one with a brush…
… but switched to a brush + small foam roller combo for the second two coats, just to knock things out a little faster. It’s the same method we used on Clara’s door (three coats of paint applied with a roller/brush combo) which has held up well for the last five months with heavy use so that’s nice to know.
As for actually getting the closet ready, that just meant organizing things (lining up shoes, putting a few empty baskets on that top shelf for future use, placing some extra toys in a bin on the floor, and transferring excess clutter to the hall closet). The hall closet is a more spacious double-doored closet, so things that we won’t use for a while like a bumbo and the play table can go in there. We’re sure the nursery closet will evolve into more sophisticated storage as the baby grows (might add some cubbies, a basket system, or a reading area on the floor depending on our needs as we go), but it’s nice to have a clean slate in there now.
We also had two nice wood frames that I wanted to hang on the curtain wall, so I was inspired by this no-longer-for-sale pear poster and just drew the shape in pencil on white foam core and used green & brown finger paint from Clara’s stash. I’m sure as the bun grows we’ll switch it out for a family picture or a subject/animal that he loves – but it’s sweet to have something there for now.
To make the lettered “Love You Forever” message below that, I took inspiration from this print from a no-longer-in-business Etsy shop, and used black construction paper and a pencil. I sketched out the letters roughly, cut them out, and laid them on another white piece of foam core. I tried to keep them all similar in height, but I didn’t get caught up in perfection, thanks to the charming irregularities in the inspiration print.
When I was done I showed John and he came up with the idea to add some color to the V’s, so I used decorative paper from my craft closet and a glue stick to attach them all to the foam core. We both love how it came out – and you can’t beat the price (free) or the amount of time it took (around fifteen minutes).
Since Clara has a print in her room that says “You Are So Loved” it feels nice to have a similar sentiment hanging in our son’s room. Sniffle.
Aren’t those wood frames nice with the stained top of the built-ins and the dark hardware on the drawers?
They also tie-in to the frames of the bike art and the changing table on the other side of the room, so there’s more balance going on.
Speaking of wooden things, we found this cute rocker at a local thrift store called Consignment Connection for $15. Clara is obsessed (even though it looks fragile it easily holds her weight) and thinks her brother is going to LOVE it. Can’t wait to see if she’s right.
Slowly but surely, this room is coming along – we even think we have a plan for the wall behind the crib after this post o’ brainstorming (thanks to everyone for their thoughts and ideas!). We might wait until the baby’s here to knock that out, but in the meantime everything from the toys on the built-ins to those elephants marching across the crib sheets and our new green closet door is making us more excited than ever to bring home this little man of ours.
Even though we’re not done in here, we worried we’d miss the chance to re-take our family picture before the bun is born (a tradition that we started with Clara), so here’s the one we took when we started on the room back in January…
… and here’s one that we snapped yesterday. Could I be more pregnant? I laughed and asked John if he inflated my bump in photoshop (or hid my legs). Turns out I just look like this and my belly really is that far out in front of me. #watermelonsmuggler
And just because I can’t resist a good waaaay back shot, here’s how the room looked before we moved in last summer.
Even though we still have a bunch of remaining to-do list items, it’s definitely feeling more like a baby-ready space.
So our to-do list officially looks like this:
- get a changing pad cover
- line the curtains with blackout liner and add some sort of black/brown/green trim detail?
- tweak the wall behind the crib with wallpaper, a stencil, slatted wood, or some sort of accent color (we have a plan… we think…)
- make a woodsy little cuckoo clock (since I made one for Clara, I’d like to make a charming little rustic one for the bun as well)
- add an overhead light on a dimmer since nothing’s there at all right now (wish we could check this off but we can’t agree on a light we both like)
- possibly add a softly colored ceiling someday? maybe sky blue to add another color to the mostly green/yellow/neutral/white palette?
- add sconces to wall between the built-ins in a few years (we’ve decided these will be more functional after the crib is swapped out for a twin bed, to be used as reading lights)
Is anyone else making art? Having a curtain change of heart? Or painting something a bold, saturated color? We never could have guessed we’d have a bold foyer door along with two in our kids rooms, but they’re proving to be somewhat addictive.
Psst- To read about all of the nursery updates from the beginning, here’s how we painted all the pink trim, laid new hardwood floors, got a rug, painted the walls and ceiling, added built-ins to each corner of the crib wall, tackled some baby bedding, hung some extra thick crown molding, filled up the built-ins, made some curtains, added a cabinet for open storage and diaper changes, and made a mobile for over the crib.
Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house? Just click on this button:
Melissa says
OMG — am I the first comment! Absolutely love how this room has come together and Sherry — you look fantastic! Can’t wait to read the post announcing his arrival :)
Melissa says
LOL — not even close! I took too long to read!
Brittany says
I’m pretty sure my sister and I had that exact same rocking horse when we were little! Love it. I’m glad you guys are going to beef up the curtains somehow. Though I know they would totally clash with the green door, I definitely miss the bright green! Excited to see what you come up with, and even more excited to see pictures of the baby! :)
Susan says
I am so relieved you changed out the curtains. The room feels so much more peaceful and cohesive. It’s beautiful and I love the green door!
Silke says
Loving the green door!
And *say what* only two more weeks?!?
CRAZY TOWN I SAY!
Erin K. says
Where was the gray chair purchased?
Love the lighter curtains and the homemade art. I wish I had 1/100th of your creativity. This site does inspire to me look at everything differently now.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Erin! The chair is from Joss & Main a few years back.
xo
s
Annaliza R says
It’s coming along very nicely! I definitely giggled looking at the picture of the family and saw Sherry standing on her tippy toes. I’m a foot shorter than my husband and do the same!
Jaime says
Really cool and I love how you always repurpose things. Still looking for your collection in my local Target–and I’m in Minneapolis! Is it featured on an end cap or something?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, they are all rolling out this week so rye should be on end caps by Friday. Will make a blog announcement when they’re all in (with a store locator to help you guys find them).
xo
s
RosieS says
Jaime, me too, I am west of Minneapolis and no luck here either! Not an end cap or anywhere….funny, I was hoping to see someone commenting from this area who DID find the knobs! Looking forward to the announcement, J and S!
Becca says
I’m SURE you’ve seen this, but your nursery reminds me so much of the one Sarah Richardson did here: http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/press/2014/01/chatelaine/sweet-dreams
I love that your room will transition so well from infant to full blown kiddo :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love that room!
xo
s
Katie @ Little House of Four says
Great decision to paint the door and swap out the curtains! Although, I liked it before I Love it now! I love the “Love you Forever” art you made and am glad you posted about it. I am in the middle of redoing my six year old daughter’s room and am planning on doing art that says “Love you to Pluto” It’s a saying that she says to me every night before bed and I love having something sentimental in the room. P.S. two weeks! Where did the time go?!?!
YoungHouseLove says
Love you to Pluto is the cutest thing ever.
xo
s
Susan Z.F. says
That’s a beautiful room! Great color choices, well balanced design and adorable all the way. Congratulations and all the best on your delivery.
Quick ? from your Hey Girl post… The thrift sore find chairs got a fantastic makeover. What finish was the Hibiscus paint you used? I never know which to use. Did you add a Polycrylic finish to the chairs? Thanks! And you look beautiful too!
YoungHouseLove says
That was eggshell from the walls so sealing it with Safecoat Acrylacq makes sense to protect it.
xo
s
jenn from much to my delight says
Man, you guys really know how to transform a space! Everything is so cohesive, yet cozy, comfortable and charming. Wow–that was a lot of C’s. And Sherry–you look amazing!
Andrea says
Ha! I had to laugh when I saw the HUGE “still need a light fixture” and “something is going on this wall” messages. Do you think we (the readers) will understand that this room is not yet complete?? Maybe that’s what was missing from the girl’s room in the show house — huge neon flashing labels. ;)
Molly says
The room looks great! I just discovered this product to add a rod to windows so you can have a blackout behind but still use simply the light filtering curtains, like at a hotel. I love it for our master bedroom and my boys’ room! Having the option is nice. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/universal-add-a-rod-28-inch-x-70-inch-window-curtain-rod/3249465 Best wishes for as routine as delivery as possible this time around :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Molly!
xo
s
Desaree Martin says
Oh wow your baby boys room is coming along so nicely. I love it! Great job. You guys never cease to amaze me.
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
I so LOVE this change!!! It just feels like it goes better with the room with the door being the green and not the curtains. So excited for you guys that it’s almost time for you to meet your little guy. :)
Christen @ Love By Hand says
I just love how the nursery is coming along! The green door is amazing and worth the change-up in curtains! I was thinking about a couple of ideas for the curtains. You could possibly sew a white/green print or green solid to the top (say about 5-10″) that could bring in the green from the door or you could even do something a bit bolder and run a stripe of fabric or paint on both ends of the panels for some interest. I agree, I think they need a little something to tie in the green ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Love all the curtain tweaking (or leave them alone) votes guys :)
xo
s
Jeana says
Love all of it!! I’m wanting to redo our little mans room this summer and I’m loving the color scheme and all with your little guys room! Oh, how I wish I could find some bike art like your gem you have:)
lisa says
I had that exact rocking horse when I was little!
lisa says
I emailed you a pic:)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lisa!
xo
s
Karen says
I am so glad you ditched the curtains! (sorry…) I loved everything you had done with this room except that. LOVE that green door, love the neutral curtains. Cute art! It is really coming together. It must be really hitting home now that a baby boy is headed for your arms soon!
I know you (and John) must have some degree of anxiety about things because of your traumatic birth experience with Clara. I’m praying for you both, and for the baby, for a safe, easy entrance into this world, a healthy little guy and a fast recovery for his mama. I am sure you have so many fans, friends, and family members who are bathing your family in prayer. <3
gemma@thesweetestdigs says
It’s looking amazing, you guys!! Your bun is a lucky and loved little man!!
xo.
emily hassman says
This room is so sweet! I’ll find out next week if I’m having a girl or a boy (EEEEEEEP! can’t wait!) and then I’m going to dive into nursery setup at my house.
Claudia says
Where is that chair from? I really like it!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from Joss & Main a few years back.
xo
s
Dawn says
LOVE the green door…all the little personal touches are so charming. Your little man will adore his room with bright pops of greens. And you look amazing, watermelon smuggler or not! :) congrats to your beautiful growing family!
Momcat says
Gorgeous. Great colors and ideas and yet it still fits beautifully into your more matured taste throughout the rest of the house.
My “baby” is graduating high school this year so I’m whipsawing between nostalgia and anticipation. His nursery (18 yrs ago!!) was no where near as cool as this. His current room might get a makeover based on seeing your great ideas!
Couldn’t be happier for the three of you. Bless you all!
Tiffany says
so.much.better! The change in curtains REALLY helped the room. Now take it easy until that baby comes:)
Nicole says
That horse rocker! We have that exact same one in our toddler’s room from when I was a child (in my 30’s now) and it is still in tact! One of her favorite things to play with! I love classic toys!
Jill says
This room is the sweetest! Love how you’ve pulled it together.
One thing I’m missing here is a table lamp. Something you can turn on at night for a soft light when overhead lighting isn’t desirable. What do you think?
Love Clara’s enthusiasm over her new baby!
YoungHouseLove says
I loved an overhead light on a dinner for that so I hope we can find one we like soon! Otherwise a table lamp will have to do :)
xo
s
Sarah says
GREAT choice to switch those curtains, looks fantastic. And I freaking love that vintage rocking horse, what a score! My unsolicited opinions re: wall hangings are that it’s perfect as-is. Seems like more would get a bit chaotic – the small sliver of wall to the right of the window doesn’t seem to call for more hangings, and the mobile is such a big and colorful piece that it seems best as a stand alone. Anyway, who asked me. :) It’s looking great in there.
Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says
Everything (especially Sherry) is looking so great! I’m so excited for this baby, which is, um, possibly weird, but let’s say it’s not. The door is fab.
Lindsay says
You guys have done some really great edits in this room. The curtains were a mis-step color-wise and this change makes it look so much more cohesive. I really like how you have the wood wrapped items as a theme throughout the room.
Using a texture/material/color as a theme is so much fun.
katie {deranchification} says
Love the green door! Y’all are so good at chosing paint colors!!
Jessica says
I’m so glad you changed the curtains out! The room has come together. It looks great.
Laura says
Love that green door!
Carla says
Here’s another behind the crib wall idea… Large but varying sized polka-dots painted in the colors of the mobil. I picture a couple of the dots in navy and very large, like 1 1/2 – 2 ft in diameter with a couple of other smaller sizes and random placement. This could easily be painted over as baby grows… And is also a nod to Clara’s raindrop wall. :)
Re: curtains I just LOVE the simplicity and freshness of the plain white. They are so soothing and let everything else shine.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s fun too! Love the ideas guys!
xo
s
Carla says
I also can visualize one huge painted graphic on the wall… Like a huge green pear like the one you painted for the frame… Or even one big spot (a nod to the wheels on the other side of the room). Okay, I’ll stop now. :) Great job.
andrea says
Clara already has such fantastic design skillz :) I love the happy green door! I also think a deep brown accent on the curtains would be awesome…tie it into the other wood accents in the room.
Elizabeth says
Yay! Little (or maybe big by your belly size!) barnacle is going to be so happy in that adorable room! I love everything and it really could be finished for now!
Life goes by much faster and busier with 2! It’s a wild, crazy, sleepless, fun ride! I’m excited for you guys! Congrats!
Karin says
Love the little dragon box(?) in the cubby. Did you buy it that way, or appliqué the cutie dragon? It’s all coming together! So excited for you all, and praying that you get plenty of sleep in the upcoming months. :D
YoungHouseLove says
That was a gift from my best friend but it’s sold on amazon or Target. The brand is 3Sprouts I think :)
xo
s
Katharina says
This room looks great, the new curtains make it look lighter and bigger, too. How about, if you want some more color, painting the curtain rail instead? Just an idea, it might look weird… :)
Good luck in the next few weeks!
P.S. Could you post a link to more information on the cute covered chair/little desk in the closet? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
The painted rod is a fun idea! As for the bench we found it at a thrift store and recovered it a few years back. It was in Clara’s nursery too :)
xo
s
Danielle says
I hope you take some time to kick those pregnant feet up and relax a bit!!!
AllieAustin says
How about adding a natural or bamboo shade behind the curtains? It would help with blocking out some light and continue with the wood toned accents. You could add some green ribbon or tape to the shade as an accent.
YoungHouseLove says
We have white faux wood blinds on all the top windows so we thought from the front one woven one might look weird. Who knows where we’ll end up though!
xo
s
Loey says
Looks great! What about green pom-pom trim for the curtains?
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Rosie S says
Super cute family picture! And the room is adorable, you guys are on a roll!!!
Jess says
Since you have so many other colorful punctuations in the room I rather like that the curtains are soft and sort of undefined at the edges. Maybe it looks different in person, but in pics they look perfect as they are without bold edging.
Love this room, you guys did a beautiful job.
Suzy says
Looks so much better w/ neutral curtains and green door!!
Love the door color!
Dwana says
I really, really love this room. It looks so great as a nursery without looking too juvenile. You guys do such a great job of pulling things together. I’m really horrible at the little things and I have to work hard not to be matchy, matchy, so I draw lots of inspiration from your blog. And I LOVE the green door — you guys picked the perfect color! Enjoy the next two weeks (or less) as a family of 3 (actually 4 with Burger). So special!
Karen F says
VAST improvement on the curtains. Other than lining them, I wouldn’t add anything else, or the room will have too much going on (especially if you’re doing something to the wall behind the crib). I actually think the room looks just about finished as it is (other than adding a light fixture and getting a changing pad cover). Nice course correction (love the wood frames, too)!
Karen F says
also, just wanted to wish you the best of luck as your due date approaches!
Jen says
I think that behind the door it would be super cute to do the growth chart that looks like a giant school ruler. I’ve seen some really cute DIY ones that people just make out of a 2 x 4 that they stain.
Sylvia says
I’m so excited for this baby! You guys have the greatest taste and I have two boys (2.5 and 15 months) and even though this is a nursery – it’s given me lots of ideas for their room as they get older. Barnacle will love looking back at that family photo!
Thais says
These latest additions and change were absolutely perfect. I am in love with the new wall art. Would you guys please share a photo from the window? Just to have an idea of that point of view and the fourth wall… Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Meant to snap that this time and forgot! Next time :)
xo
s
Annie says
Between getting rid of those green curtains, painting that door, and the addition of the rocker, I went from being meh about this room to absolutely loving it! Wahooo!!